Songs: A Tale of Meetings
by starhamster42
Summary: An idea I had about music, never submitted but not forgotten.


"Songs: A Tale of Meetings" by Starhamster42  
  
(Disclaimer: I don't own Neopets.com, nor do I want to. This is just a simple story about my little group of characters - whose personalities I *did* create, so keep your meddling paws off them. Thank you, and have a nice diurnal anomaly.)  
  
Every person has their own song. It just needs to be sung.  
  
The evening sun sank low over the forests of Neopia Central's Park, turning every cloud a flaming orange and lengthening the shadows until it seemed they stretched for miles. A small group of Beekadoodles fluttered by overhead on their way home, piping and quarreling in their high-pitched voices.  
  
On a simple wooden bench overlooking the central pond sat two Neopets: a striped Nimmo and a midnight blue Aisha. Both had been sitting there for a while, though neither pet remembered the other being there when they had first sat down. So far, no words had passed between the two; they sat facing opposite ways, each looking at the scenery and lost in their own thoughts.  
  
It was the Aisha, by the name of Arl-entiros, or Enti, who broke the silence first. "Beautiful, isn't it? Just look at those colors!"  
  
"You wouldn't say that if you knew which way we were facing," the Nimmo replied sadly, rubbing the glossy surface of the small wooden flute by her side as if it were a talisman.  
  
"I already do," protested Enti, a bit annoyed. "What's so special about east?" Atoka shook her head and picked up a smooth pebble between slender fingers; with one liquid movement she threw it. Enti watched as it skipped across the pond's surface, ripples of sunset fire forming in its wake until it sank out of sight. "East - there lie the ruins of Maraqua, my home."  
  
"Your home?" the blue Aisha asked, cocking an ear in curiosity. "I didn't think anyone survived when the city was destroyed."  
  
"I was one of the few who wasn't in Maraqua at the time," Atoka explained patiently. "I left as soon as I was old enough to become a musician."  
  
Arl-entiros smiled as she continued. "My parents thought it was unusual, but were happy that I'd found something to do that I liked. 'Musicians don't play for the Neopoints or the fame,' my mother once told me, 'but simply because they love that music with all their heart.'  
  
"That much was true - I took my flute and traveled as far as I could at the time, to Neopia Central, where I threw myself into every note of my music. I never had huge crowds cheering my name or million-Neopoint deals with companies, but having the music. that was enough. And it would have been enough, too; that music was all I cared about. When I wasn't sleeping, I was playing my flute. My life revolved around those notes. But then." She trailed off.  
  
Enti sensed the Nimmo's troubled emotions, but out of courtesy, was unsure if he should ask. Finally curiosity overcame him. "What happened?"  
  
"I'd been telling myself for months that I would go back to see my family in Maraqua after one more month, after I saved enough money, after I got a new job. but I never did. Eventually I pushed myself to go - though maybe it would have been better in the long run if I hadn't. You can't even imagine how it felt to step off the boat at Mystery Island, ready to see my family, my friends waiting for me, only to be told that Maraqua had been destroyed.  
  
"Words can't even describe what it felt like, hearing those words. All I could think about was how it was my own fault, that if I had only put aside my pride and come to see them sooner, at least one last time."  
  
"What did you do?" the Aisha asked quietly. Strange emotions were stirring inside him, the likes of which he hadn't felt for a long time.  
  
"The first thing that came to my mind," Atoka replied. "I blamed it on my flute, because it was what made the music I'd loved even more than my own family. Looking at it, I couldn't imagine how I'd ever find joy in it again; in that moment I hated it more than anything else in my life. I threw it into the sea, right there by the dock, not caring what happened to it or myself. I only stayed long enough to watch it sink beneath the waves before walking away.  
  
"I walked across the beaches through the day and on into the night, until my feet were raw and I couldn't summon enough energy to take another step; finally I collapsed near the surf's edge, feeling completely drained. I just wanted to fall asleep and escape from it all, but my mind wouldn't let me - all those accusing thoughts kept swirling around and around."  
  
Arl-entiros didn't move or say a word, but his heart went out to the sad, striped Nimmo.  
  
"After a time, I felt something bump softly against my foot, a piece of flotsam brought in by the waves. For a while I didn't bother look down, but the waves kept washing it insistently to my side. Finally I did, only to find."  
  
"Your flute," said Enti softly, as if finally remembering an old memory.  
  
**Flashback**  
  
There by her side, floating in a pond of seawater, was her old flute, sanded smooth by the waves but still recognizable. Atoka's eyes filled with tears of rage at the fates who had played this cruel trick on her, and she seized the flute, preparing to throw it back into the water.  
  
It was then that a strong paw seized the Nimmo's arm.  
  
The Nimmo yelped and twisted around to look up into the face of an Aisha - it was shadow-colored, or perhaps simply just dark blue; it was hard to tell in the darkness. Yet the Aisha's eyes were its most striking feature: they spoke of a painful past, but also seemed to radiate happiness, hope. Atoka's flute fell to the sand with a soft thump, but she took no notice.  
  
"Who are you?" she finally managed.  
  
"Just a passing traveler like you, Atoka, but one who's seen much." the Aisha replied.  
  
"How do you -" she began, but broke off.  
  
"You could say I've... heard it somewhere before. But that's not what's important right now. You cannot throw this flute back."  
  
At this, Atoka looked away, back at the sea. "Who are you to tell me what to do? You wouldn't understand why I threw it away," she stormed angrily.  
  
"I'm not sure I even know why I'm here myself, but I do understand that this flute came back to you for a reason. It wasn't just random chance that caused the water to wash it back here again, by your side.  
  
"It's true that nothing will ever be as it was before - your music won't be the same, because you have changed. But you cannot throw your music away, because it is a part of your heart, your soul, that cannot be denied.  
  
"Grief is natural, but there are better ways of coping with it than giving up everything. Your flute is the one thing you have left, so make use of it. Keep playing. Through your music, you can tell others not to make the same mistakes you have made.  
  
"For even tears are part of the Great Song."  
  
Atoka's eyes widened as realization dawned on her; the strange Aisha's words were simple, but in them she could feel an echo of her mother's words: "simply because they love that music with all their heart." And she knew that he was right; her parents had believed in her music, and it was only right that she should keep playing, to preserve their memory.  
  
She turned around to face the Aisha again, to thank him, but he was gone.  
  
**Back to reality**  
  
"Oh, but you wouldn't understand," the Nimmo sighed, breaking off her story, angry at herself for spilling such a personal tale to a complete stranger.  
  
"You know, it's funny that you should say that," said Enti quietly. "I can still remember a certain striped Nimmo who told me that once - but she had no idea how much I really understood at the time."  
  
Atoka whirled around to face the blue Aisha for the first time, finally placing the voice and face. "You -"  
  
"Yes, I was the one on the beach that night, although if it hadn't been for my own experience, I would never have been there." The striped Nimmo listened attentively to his story.  
  
**Another Flashback, if you couldn't tell**  
  
Arl-entiros wasn't like the rest of the pets living on Mystery Island; this knowledge had been a part of him for as long as he could remember, just as he knew the sky was blue and the grass was green. The quiet Aisha was avoided by all around him, but just because he acted differently, because he would rather bury his nose in a book, play with chemicals, or tinker with electronics rather than play sports. The ones who didn't ignore him delighted in finding new ways to torture him.  
  
Enti sadly fingered a mangled piece of metal, one of the last remains of what once had been his beloved robot Spyder. The blue Aisha had designed and constructed it himself, laboring for weeks over the intricate joints, tracing the circuit paths in his mind and testing them all until he was sure everything was perfect; he had made it even knowing the bullies would eventually find it crush it, and they had.  
  
He had returned from his classes that day, only to find his robot smashed and the pieces strewn everywhere; Enti could almost imagine their gang, laughing gleefully at the thought of the look on his face. Now he rubbed a paw across his eyes and sighed. It didn't matter what he did, there was no way to fight back against them. And now - again - came that overwhelming feeling: I don't belong here.  
  
For as long as he could remember, the midnight blue Aisha had always been nagged by this feeling that he didn't belong where he was, that he would never fit in, regardless of what he did or where he went. Enti always felt it in the back of his mind, akin to a constant sensation of homesickness.  
  
Enti knew he wouldn't be able to sleep with all these thoughts pressing on his mind, so he put the mangled robot down and stepped outside to take a late night walk.  
  
His eyes gradually adjusted to the night - those same eyes so used to the glaring electric lights of the city! He was delighted to discover his natural night vision, which was keen enough that he could see each individual shell fragment underneath his paws.  
  
Padding softly along the beach, Arl-entiros became aware of all the night noises around himself which he had been too busy to hear during the daytime: the lapping of waves against the shore, the shifting of sand under the quick pattering limbs of tiny sand crabs, the leaves of the palm trees brushing against each other in the light ocean breeze. This was the first time when he realized that he was completely alone.  
  
A slight breeze stirred Enti's blue fur, and he turned to face into it. Then, a faint whisper in his ear, calling his name. "Enti." More voices joined in, a thousand voices calling his name. "Arl-entiros, Enti, Enti... Look up, look up..."  
  
The Aisha tilted his face upwards. For the first time, he saw the stars - really saw how many of them there were, countless myriads of glowing lights in the sky. And as his heart grew quiet and his mind calm, he felt, perhaps for the first time in his life, part of nature, part of something bigger than himself. Just him, compared to all those stars... how small and insignificant he really was, and how big the universe must be! Enti began to feel that he was not just a pet looking up at the stars, but actually a part of something bigger, a part of the universe, and that he was not alone.  
  
The sound of a great symphony rose in his ears, both near and distant all at once. And as Arl-entiros listened to it, he could identify every note and theme - the slow, deep beat of this ancient star, nearing the end of its life; the sweeter chiming of a young flower, just unfolding its petals to the sun; although he could not identify it, he knew that his own song was playing amongst them too, the music telling the tale of his life. A strange but somehow familiar theme came to his ears, bringing vague images of alien races to Enti's mind.  
  
Enti listened to all of it, reveling in the complexity of the sound, delighting as his mind touched each of those in the universe. But there in the background, something disturbing - a wrong note struck a bit off tune. The Aisha concentrated on that individual part, bringing up an image of a distraught striped Nimmo, along with a name: Atoka. And as he saw this, the wind-voices spoke in his ear again. "Enti, Enti, you must not let this Nimmo throw her flute back. This is very important; you must not let her..."  
  
The voices and the music slowly died away, leaving one thin voice, which simply said, "Keep the song in your heart, Enti." Then it, too, was gone, and Enti found himself back on the beach - alone, but not alone.  
  
In the distance, he could make out the lone shape of a Nimmo. The breeze ruffled his fur once more as he started walking towards the pet.  
  
**Back to reality**  
  
Both pets were silent for a moment; then Atoka's eyes flicked upwards to meet those of the Aisha's. The two pets said nothing - they didn't need to. In that single moment, they understood each other perfectly.  
  
The slow, deep croak of a Greeble sounded in the distance. The sun had already set by now, and the first stars were coming out, pinpricks of light shining into the darkness one by one.  
  
Finally they could stand the silence no more; "Teach me," they blurted simultaneously, then stopped, embarrassed.  
  
Enti tried again. "Teach me about your music."  
  
Atoka smiled with a sudden idea. "Start talking about the stars and I'll show you."  
  
Enti's eyes scanned the sky for a moment before resting on familiar groups. "Well, there's the Big Dippaw. and the Little Dippaw." His eyes shone as he warmed to his favorite subject. The Nimmo's bright eyes followed the blue Aisha's pointing finger as Arl-entiros began to speak of the great constellations. The names sounded foreign to her ears, but each seemed to promise that possibility of new worlds, new hope, new adventure.  
  
And as Enti called the name of each star, Atoka took up her wooden flute and played a note for each star - short, bright notes here, now a long slow slur, a rumble at the heart of the oldest star. Her fingers moved freely over the flute's keys, and she let her mind slip away into the rhythm of the stars.  
  
Enti felt the invisible symphony rise in his ears again, and he was filled with a wild joy, for the flute-playing Nimmo at his side was playing in perfect harmony with the music. But Atoka simply smiled at the Aisha's reaction and continued playing, because she had always known the truth: whenever she played, she was only playing her small part of the Symphony. and that long after her last notes faded away, the Great Song would still go on.  
  
(Dedicated to all my band friends - because we had the Music in our hearts.) 


End file.
